Inbred corn line LH176

ABSTRACT

An inbred corn line, designated LH176, is disclosed. The invention relates to the seeds of inbred corn line LH176, to the plants of inbred corn line LH176 and to methods for producing a corn plant produced by crossing the inbred line LH176 with itself or another corn line. The invention further relates to hybrid corn seeds and plants produced by crossing the inbred line LH176 with another corn line.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinctive corn inbred line,designated LH176. There are numerous steps in the development of anynovel, desirable plant germplasm. Plant breeding begins with theanalysis and definition of problems and weaknesses of the currentgermplasm, the establishment of program goals, and the definition ofspecific breeding objectives. The next step is selection of germplasmthat possess the traits to meet the program goals. The goal is tocombine in a single variety or hybrid an improved combination ofdesirable traits from the parental germplasm. These important traits mayinclude higher yield, resistance to diseases and insects, better stalksand roots, tolerance to drought and heat, and better agronomic quality.

Choice of breeding or selection methods depends on the mode of plantreproduction, the heritability of the trait(s) being improved, and thetype of cultivar used commercially (e.g., F₁ hybrid cultivar, purelinecultivar, etc.). For highly heritable traits, a choice of superiorindividual plants evaluated at a single location will be effective,whereas for traits with low heritability, selection should be based onmean values obtained from replicated evaluations of families of relatedplants. Popular selection methods commonly include pedigree selection,modified pedigree selection, mass selection, and recurrent selection.

The complexity of inheritance influences choice of the breeding method.Backcross breeding is used to transfer one or a few favorable genes fora highly heritable trait into a desirable cultivar. This approach hasbeen used extensively for breeding disease-resistant cultivars. Variousrecurrent selection techniques are used to improve quantitativelyinherited traits controlled by numerous genes. The use of recurrentselection in self-pollinating crops depends on the ease of pollination,the frequency of successful hybrids from each pollination, and thenumber of hybrid offspring from each successful cross.

Each breeding program should include a periodic, objective evaluation ofthe efficiency of the breeding procedure. Evaluation criteria varydepending on the goal and objectives, but should include gain fromselection per year based on comparisons to an appropriate standard,overall value of the advanced breeding lines, and number of successfulcultivars produced per unit of input (e.g., per year, per dollarexpended, etc.).

Promising advanced breeding lines are thoroughly tested and compared toappropriate standards in environments representative of the commercialtarget area(s) for three years at least. The best lines are candidatesfor new commercial cultivars; those still deficient in a few traits areused as parents to produce new populations for further selection.

These processes, which lead to the final step of marketing anddistribution, usually take from eight to 12 years from the time thefirst cross is made. Therefore, development of new cultivars is atime-consuming process that requires precise forward planning, efficientuse of resources, and a minimum of changes in direction.

A most difficult task is the identification of individuals that aregenetically superior, because for most traits the true genotypic valueis masked by other confounding plant traits or environmental factors.One method of identifying a superior plant is to observe its performancerelative to other experimental plants and to a widely grown standardcultivar. If a single observation is inconclusive, replicatedobservations provide a better estimate of its genetic worth.

The goal of plant breeding is to develop new, unique and superior corninbred lines and hybrids. The breeder initially selects and crosses twoor more parental lines, followed by repeated selfing and selection,producing many new genetic combinations. The breeder can theoreticallygenerate billions of different genetic combinations via crossing,selfing and mutations. The breeder has no direct control at the cellularlevel. Therefore, two breeders will never develop the same line, or evenvery similar lines, having the same corn traits.

Each year, the plant breeder selects the germplasm to advance to thenext generation. This germplasm is grown under unique and differentgeographical, climatic and soil conditions, and further selections arethen made, during and at the end of the growing season. The inbred lineswhich are developed are unpredictable. This unpredictability is becausethe breeder's selection occurs in unique environments, with no controlat the DNA level (using conventional breeding procedures), and withmillions of different possible genetic combinations being generated. Abreeder of ordinary skill in the art cannot predict the final resultinglines he develops, except possibly in a very gross and general fashion.The same breeder cannot produce the same line twice by using the exactsame original parents and the same selection techniques. Thisunpredictability results in the expenditure of large research monies todevelop a superior new corn inbred line. The development of commercialcorn hybrids requires the development of homozygous inbred lines, thecrossing of these lines, and the evaluation of the crosses. Pedigreebreeding and recurrent selection breeding methods are used to developinbred lines from breeding populations. Breeding programs combinedesirable traits from two or more inbred lines or various broad-basedsources into breeding pools from which inbred lines are developed byselfing and selection of desired phenotypes. The new inbreds are crossedwith other inbred lines and the hybrids from these crosses are evaluatedto determine which have commercial potential.

Pedigree breeding is used commonly for the improvement ofself-pollinating crops or inbred lines of cross-pollinating crops. Twoparents which possess favorable, complementary traits are crossed toproduce an F₁. An F₂ population is produced by selfing one or several F₁'s or by intercrossing two F₁ 's (sib mating). Selection of the bestindividuals is usually begun in the F₂ population; then, beginning inthe F₃, the best individuals in the best families are selected.Replicated testing of families, or hybrid combinations involvingindividuals of these families, often follows in the F₄ generation toimprove the effectiveness of selection for traits with low heritability.At an advanced stage of inbreeding (i.e., F₆ and F₇), the best lines ormixtures of phenotypically similar lines are tested for potentialrelease as new cultivars.

Mass and recurrent selections can be used to improve populations ofeither self- or cross-pollinating crops. A genetically variablepopulation of heterozygous individuals is either identified or createdby intercrossing several different parents. The best plants are selectedbased on individual superiority, outstanding progeny, or excellentcombining ability. The selected plants are intercrossed to produce a newpopulation in which further cycles of selection are continued.

Backcross breeding has been used to transfer genes for a simplyinherited, highly heritable trait into a desirable homozygous cultivaror inbred line which is the recurrent parent. The source of the trait tobe transferred is called the donor parent. The resulting plant isexpected to have the attributes of the recurrent parent (e.g., cultivar)and the desirable trait transferred from the donor parent. After theinitial cross, individuals possessing the phenotype of the donor parentare selected and repeatedly crossed (backcrossed) to the recurrentparent. The resulting plant is expected to have the attributes of therecurrent parent (e.g., cultivar) and the desirable trait transferredfrom the donor parent.

Descriptions of other breeding methods that are commonly used fordifferent traits and crops can be found in one of several referencebooks (e.g., Allard, 1960; Simmonds, 1979; Sneep et al., 1979; Fehr,1987).

Proper testing should detect any major faults and establish the level ofsuperiority or improvement over current cultivars. In addition toshowing superior performance, there must be a demand for a new cultivarthat is compatible with industry standards or which creates a newmarket. The introduction of a new cultivar will incur additional coststo the seed producer, the grower, processor and consumer; for specialadvertising and marketing, altered seed and commercial productionpractices, and new product utilization. The testing preceding release ofa new cultivar should take into consideration research and developmentcosts as well as technical superiority of the final cultivar. Forseed-propagated cultivars, it must be feasible to produce seed easilyand economically.

Once the inbreds that give the best hybrid performance have beenidentified, the hybrid seed can be reproduced indefinitely as long asthe homogeneity of the inbred parent is maintained. A single-crosshybrid is produced when two inbred lines are crossed to produce the F₁progeny. A double-cross hybrid is produced from four inbred linescrossed in pairs (A×B and C×D) and then the two F₁ hybrids are crossedagain (A×B)×(C×D). Much of the hybrid vigor exhibited by F₁ hybrids islost in the next generation (F₂). Consequently, seed from hybridvarieties is not used for planting stock.

Corn is an important and valuable field crop. Thus, a continuing goal ofplant breeders is to develop stable, high yielding corn hybrids that areagronomically sound. The reasons for this goal are obviously to maximizethe amount of grain produced on the land used and to supply food forboth animals and humans. To accomplish this goal, the corn breeder mustselect and develop corn plants that have the traits that result insuperior parental lines for producing hybrids.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention, there is provided a novel inbred corn line,designated LH176. This invention thus relates to the seeds of inbredcorn line LH176, to the plants of inbred corn line LH176 and to methodsfor producing a corn plant produced by crossing the inbred line LH176with itself or another corn line. This invention further relates tohybrid corn seeds and plants produced by crossing the inbred line LH176with another corn line.

DEFINITIONS

In the description and tables which follow, a number of terms are used.In order to provide a clear and consistent understanding of thespecification and claims, including the scope to be given such terms,the following definitions are provided:

Predicted RM. This trait for a hybrid, predicted relative maturity (RM),is based on the harvest moisture of the grain. The relative maturityrating is based on a known set of checks and utilizes conventionalmaturity systems such as the Minnesota Relative Maturity Rating System.

MN RM. This represents the Minnesota Relative Maturity Rating (MN RM)for the hybrid and is based on the harvest moisture of the grainrelative to a standard set of checks of previously determined MN RMrating. Regression analysis is used to compute this rating.

Yield (Bushels/Acre). The yield in bushels/acre is the actual yield ofthe grain at harvest adjusted to 15.5% moisture.

Moisture. The moisture is the actual percentage moisture of the grain atharvest.

GDU Silk. The GDU silk (=heat unit silk) is the number of growing degreeunits (GDU) or heat units required for an inbred line or hybrid to reachsilk emergence from the time of planting. Growing degree units arecalculated by the Barger Method, where the heat units for a 24-hourperiod are: ##EQU1## The highest maximum used is 86° F. and the lowestminimum used is 50° F. For each hybrid, it takes a certain number ofGDUs to reach various stages of plant development. GDUs are a way ofmeasuring plant maturity.

Stalk Lodging. This is the percentage of plants that stalk lodge, i.e.,stalk breakage, as measured by either natural lodging or pushing thestalks determining the percentage of plants that break off below theear. This is a relative rating of a hybrid to other hybrids forstandability.

Root Lodging. The root lodging is the percentage of plants that rootlodge; i.e., those that lean from the vertical axis at an approximate30° angle or greater would be counted as root lodged.

Plant Height. This is a measure of the height of the hybrid from theground to the tip of the tassel, and is measured in centimeters.

Ear Height. The ear height is a measure from the ground to the ear nodeattachment, and is measured in centimeters.

Dropped Ears. This is a measure of the number of dropped ears per plot,and represents the percentage of plants that dropped an ear prior toharvest.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Inbred corn line LH176 is a yellow dent corn with superiorcharacteristics, and provides an excellent parental line in crosses forproducing first generation (F₁) hybrid corn.

LH176 is a corn inbred line developed from the cross of Pioneer Hybrid3704×LH82 by selfing and using the pedigree system of plant breeding.Yield, stalk quality, root quality, disease tolerance, late plantgreenness, late plant intactness, ear retention, pollen sheddingability, silking ability and corn borer tolerance were the criteria usedto determine the rows from which ears were selected.

Inbred corn line LH176 has the following morphologic and othercharacteristics (based primarily on data collected at Williamsburg,Iowa).

VARIETY DESCRIPTION INFORMATION

1. TYPE: Dent

2. REGION WHERE DEVELOPED: Northcentral U.S.

3. MATURITY:

    ______________________________________                                                             Days Heat Units                                          ______________________________________                                        From emergence to 50% of plants in silk:                                                             82     1336                                            From emergence to 50% of plants in pollen                                                            81     1311                                            ______________________________________                                         ##STR1##                                                                 

4. PLANT:

Plant Height (to tassel tip): 189 cm

Ear Height (to base of top ear): 80 cm

Length of Top Ear Internode: 12 cm

Average number of Tillers: 0

Average Number of Ears per Stalk: 1.3

Ear Tendency: Slight two-ear

Anthocyanin of Brace Roots: Absent

5. LEAF:

Width of Ear Node Leaf: 10 cm

Length of Ear Node Leaf: 78 cm

Number of leaves above top ear: 6

Leaf Angle from Leaf to Stalk above leaf: 25°

Leaf Color: 5 GY 3/4 Munsell Color Charts for Plant Tissues

Leaf Sheath Pubescence: Light

Marginal Waves: Few

Longitudinal Creases: Few

6. TASSEL:

Number of Lateral Branches: 10

Branch Angle from Central Spike: 30

Tassel Length (from top leaf collar to tassel top): 42 cm

Pollen Shed: Medium

Anther Color: Yellow

Glume Color: Green with purple stripe

Bar Glumes: Absent

7a. EAR: (Unhusked Data)

Silk Color (3 days after emergency): Light Green

Fresh Husk Color (25 days after 50% silking): Light Green

Dry Husk Color (65 days after 50% silking): Buff

Position of Ear: Upright

Husk Tightness: Low

Husk Extension: Medium (<8 cm)

7b. EAR: (Husked Ear Data)

Ear Length: 17 cm

Ear Diameter at mid-point: 48 mm

Ear Weight: 164 gm

Number of Kernel Rows: 18

Kernel Rows: Distinct

Row Alignment: Straight

Shank Length: 16 cm

Ear Taper: Slight

8. KERNEL: (Dried)

Kernel Length: 12 mm

Kernel Width: 8 mm

Kernel Thickness: 4 mm

Round Kernels (Shape Grade): 21%

Aleurone Color Pattern: Homozygous

Aleurone Color: White

Hard Endosperm Color: Yellow

Endosperm Type: Normal Starch

Weight per 100 kernels (unsized sample): 19 gm

9. COB:

Cob Diameter at Mid-Point: 34 mm

Cob Color: Red

10. DISEASE RESISTANCE:

Rating [1=(most susceptible) through 9=(most resistant)]

7 Northern Leaf Blight (Exserohilum turcicum)

6 Eyespot (Aureobasidium zeae)

9 Helminthosporium Leaf Spot (Race 3)

11. AGRONOMIC TRAITS:

0% Dropped Ears

0% Pre-anthesis Brittle Snapping

0% Pre-anthesis Root Lodging

0% Post-anthesis Root Lodging

This invention is also directed to methods for producing a corn plant bycrossing a first parent corn plant with a second parent corn plant,wherein the first or second corn plant is the inbred corn plant from theline LH176. Further, both first and second parent corn plants may befrom the inbred line LH176. Therefore, any methods using the inbred cornline LH176 are part of this invention: selfing, backcrosses, hybridbreeding, and crosses to populations. Any plants produced using inbredcorn line LH176 as a parent are within the scope of this invention.Advantageously, the inbred corn line is used in crosses with other cornvarieties to produce first generation (F₁) corn hybrid seed and plantswith superior characteristics.

As used herein, the term "plant" includes plant cells, plantprotoplasts, plant cell of tissue culture from which corn plants can beregenerated, plant calli, plant clumps, and plant cells that are intactin plants or parts of plants, such as pollen, flowers, kernels, ears,cobs, leaves, husks, stalks, and the like.

Tissue culture of corn is described in European Patent Application,Publication No. 160,390, incorporated herein by reference. Corn tissueculture procedures are also described in Green and Rhodes, "PlantRegeneration in Tissue Culture of Maize", Maize for Biological Research(Plant Molecular Biology Association, Charlottesville, Va. 1982), at367-372. Thus, another aspect of this invention is to provide for cellswhich upon growth and differentiation produce the inbred line LH176.

LH82, one of the progenitors of LH176, is a proprietary field corninbred line of Holden's Foundation Seeds, Inc. of Williamsburg, Iowa.The other progenitor, Pioneer Hybrid 3704, was a hybrid marketed andsold to the public by Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. of Des Moines,Iowa. LH176 is most similar to LH82. However, there are numerousdifferences including anther color and glume color. The anther color ofLH176 is purple while the anther color of LH82 is pink. The glume colorof LH176 is green with a purple stripe while the glume color of LH82 isgreen with a brown margin.

LH176 is a medium early season field corn inbred that flowers 2 daysearlier than LH82. LH176 contributes open husks, a blocky ear type,improved staygreen and excellent yield for moisture to hybridcombinations. The harvest moistures of LH176 hybrids are similar to theharvest moistures of comparative LH163 and LH85 hybrids.

Some of the criteria used to select ears in various generations include:yield, stalk quality, root quality, disease tolerance, late plantgreenness, late season plant intactness, ear retention, pollen sheddingability, silking ability, and corn borer tolerance. During thedevelopment of the line, crosses were made to inbred testers for thepurpose of estimating the line's general and specific combining ability,and evaluations were run by the Stanton, Minn. Research Station. Theinbred was evaluated further as a line and in numerous crosses by theStanton and other research stations across the Corn Belt. The inbred hasproven to have a very good combining ability in hybrid combinations.

The inbred has shown uniformity and stability for all traits. It hasbeen self-pollinated and ear-rowed a sufficient number of generations,with careful attention to uniformity of plant type to ensurehomozygosity and phenotypic stability. The line has been increased bothby hand and sibbed in isolated fields with continued observations foruniformity. No variant traits have been observed or are expected inLH176.

TABLES

In the tables that follow, the traits and characteristics of inbred cornline LH176 are given in hybrid combination. The data collected on inbredcorn line LH176 is presented for the key characteristics and traits. Thetables present yield test information about LH176. LH176 was tested inseveral hybrid combinations at numerous locations, with two or threereplications per location. Information about these hybrids, as comparedto several check hybrids, is presented.

The first pedigree listed in the comparison group is the hybridcontaining LH176. Information for the pedigree includes:

1. Mean yield of the hybrid across all locations.

2. A mean for the percentage moisture (% M) for the hybrid across alllocations.

3. A mean of the yield divided by the percentage moisture (Y/M) for thehybrid across all locations.

4. A mean of the percentage of plants with stalk lodging (% SL) acrossall locations.

5. A mean of the percentage of plants with root lodging (% RL) acrossall locations.

6. A mean of the percentage of plants with dropped ears (% DE).

7. A mean of the plant height measured in centimeters.

8. A mean of ear height measured in centimeters.

9. The number of locations indicates the locations where these hybridswere tested together.

The series of hybrids listed under the hybrid containing LH176 areconsidered check hybrids. The check hybrids are compared to hybridscontaining the inbred LH176.

The (+) or (-) sign in front of each number in each of the columnsindicates how the mean values across plots of the hybrid containinginbred LH176 compare to the check crosses. A (+) or (-) sign in front ofthe number indicates that the mean of the hybrid containing inbred LH176was greater or lesser, respectively, than the mean of the check hybrid.For example, a +4 in yield signifies that the hybrid containing inbredLH176 produced 4 bushels more corn than the check hybrid. If the valueof the stalks has a (-) in front of the number 2, for example, then thehybrid containing the inbred LH176 had 2% less stalk lodging than thecheck hybrid.

                                      TABLE 1                                     __________________________________________________________________________    OVERALL COMPARISONS                                                           LH197 X LH176 HYBRID VERSUS CHECK HYBRIDS                                              Mean        %  %  %   Plant                                                                             Ear                                        Pedigree Yield                                                                             % M Y/M Stalk                                                                            Root                                                                             Drop                                                                              Height                                                                            Height                                     __________________________________________________________________________    LH197 x LH176                                                                          157 17.38                                                                             9.01                                                                              5  1  0   105 42                                         (at 14 Loc's)                                                                 As Compared To:                                                               LH132 x LH82                                                                           0   -2.63                                                                             +1.19                                                                             -1 0  0   +8  +4                                         LH197 x LH172                                                                          -3  -2.55                                                                             +1.02                                                                             +1 0  0   +5  +3                                         LHE136 x LH82                                                                          +5  -2.03                                                                             +1.18                                                                             -1 -1 0   +2  +5                                         LH132 x LH172                                                                          +7  -1.62                                                                             +1.11                                                                             -1 0  0   +10 +5                                         LH198 x LH82                                                                           -3  -1.20                                                                             +.41                                                                              -1 -1 0   +5  +4                                         LH132 x LH59                                                                           +4  -.46                                                                              +.48                                                                              -1 0  -1  -6  -4                                         __________________________________________________________________________

                                      TABLE 2                                     __________________________________________________________________________    OVERALL COMPARISONS                                                           LH202 X LH176 HYBRID VERSUS CHECK HYBRIDS                                              Mean        %  %  %   Plant                                                                             Ear                                        Pedigree Yield                                                                             % M Y/M Stalk                                                                            Root                                                                             Drop                                                                              Height                                                                            Height                                     __________________________________________________________________________    LH202 x LH176                                                                          140 18.91                                                                             7.41                                                                              1  4  0   86  34                                         (at 11 Loc's)                                                                 As Compared To:                                                               LH202 x LH82                                                                           +8  -4.58                                                                             +1.79                                                                             -2 -2 0   -3  -4                                         LH202 x LH172                                                                          +2  -3.34                                                                             +1.22                                                                             -1 -2 0   -7  -3                                         LH202 x LH167                                                                          +15 -2.63                                                                             +1.58                                                                             -1 -1 0   -6  -4                                         LH202 x LH163                                                                          +12 -1.72                                                                             +1.18                                                                             0  -1 0   -6  -4                                         __________________________________________________________________________

                                      TABLE 3                                     __________________________________________________________________________    OVERALL COMPARISONS                                                           LH225 X LH176 HYBRID VERSUS CHECK HYBRIDS                                              Mean        %  %  %   Plant                                                                             Ear                                        Pedigree Yield                                                                             % M Y/M Stalk                                                                            Root                                                                             Drop                                                                              Height                                                                            Height                                     __________________________________________________________________________    LH225 x LH176                                                                          141 19.46                                                                             7.22                                                                              1  9  0   112 45                                         (at 6 Loc's)                                                                  As Compared To:                                                               LH74 x LH82                                                                            +4  -6.15                                                                             +1.89                                                                             0  +5 0   +10 +1                                         LH225 x LH82                                                                           -4  -3.53                                                                             +.92                                                                              -3 -1 0   +7  +2                                         Pioneer 3751                                                                           -1  -2.63                                                                             +.80                                                                              +1 +4 0   +10 +4                                         LH146 x LH82                                                                           +3  -1.04                                                                             +.51                                                                              -2 -4 0   +7  -3                                         __________________________________________________________________________

                                      TABLE 4                                     __________________________________________________________________________    OVERALL COMPARISONS                                                           LH146 X LH145) LH176 HYBRID VERSUS CHECK HYBRIDS                                          Mean        %  %  %   Plant                                                                             Ear                                     Pedigree    Yield                                                                             % M Y/M Stalk                                                                            Root                                                                             Drop                                                                              Height                                                                            Height                                  __________________________________________________________________________    LH146 x LH145)LH176                                                                       126 18.25                                                                             6.88                                                                              2  24 0   102 40                                      (at 5 Loc's)                                                                  As Compared To:                                                               LH146 x LH82                                                                              +1  -3.29                                                                             +1.12                                                                             +1 +8 -0  +4  +2                                      LH145 x LH82                                                                              +8  -2.58                                                                             +1.24                                                                             -3 -6 0   +4  +2                                      LH168 x LH146                                                                             +10 -2.48                                                                             +1.31                                                                             -1 +10                                                                              0   -5  -2                                      LH163 x LH146                                                                             +9  -1.82                                                                             +1.09                                                                             +1 +6 9   -2  -1                                      __________________________________________________________________________

                                      TABLE 5                                     __________________________________________________________________________    OVERALL COMPARISONS                                                           LH202 X LH176 HYBRID VERSUS CHECK HYBRIDS                                              Mean        %  %  %   Plant                                                                             Ear                                        Pedigree Yield                                                                             % M Y/M Stalk                                                                            Root                                                                             Drop                                                                              Height                                                                            Height                                     __________________________________________________________________________    LH202 x LH176                                                                          195 19.78                                                                             9.84                                                                              1  12 0   102 38                                         (at 10 Loc's)                                                                 As Compared To:                                                               LH222 x LH172                                                                          -6  -1.97                                                                             +61 -1 +9 0   -1  -7                                         LH222 x LH82                                                                           +6  -1.39                                                                             +.94                                                                              -1 +3 0   -5  -9                                         LH222 x LH168                                                                          -4  -1.19                                                                             +.38                                                                              0  +8 0   -7  -10                                        LH74 x LH163                                                                           +7  -1.00                                                                             +.83                                                                              0  +8 0   0   -6                                         Pioneer 3751                                                                           -3  -.95                                                                              +.33                                                                              -2 +5 0   -5  -8                                         HC26 x LH85                                                                            +11 -.94                                                                              +1.11                                                                             -3 -3 0   -6  -9                                         LH202 x LH177                                                                          -2  -.91                                                                              +.40                                                                              -1 -2 0   -4  -8                                         LH146 x LH82                                                                           +8  -.43                                                                              +.63                                                                              -2 -4 0   -2  -8                                         A632 x LH163                                                                           +14 +.10                                                                              +.64                                                                              -1 -2 0   -8 -10                                         __________________________________________________________________________

                                      TABLE 6                                     __________________________________________________________________________    OVERALL COMPARISONS                                                           LH202 X LH176 HYBRID VERSUS CHECK HYBRIDS                                              Mean        %  %  %   Plant                                                                             Ear                                        Pedigree Yield                                                                             % M Y/M Stalk                                                                            Root                                                                             Drop                                                                              Height                                                                            Height                                     __________________________________________________________________________    LH202 x LH176                                                                          192 18.08                                                                             10.64                                                                             2  15 0   106 42                                         (at 9 Loc's)                                                                  As Compared To:                                                               LH222 x LH172                                                                          -1  -1.84                                                                             +.91                                                                              0  +13                                                                              0   -2  -1                                         LH168 x LH146                                                                          +9  -.55                                                                              +.79                                                                              -1 +4 0   -12 -10                                        LH74 x LH85                                                                            +10 -.20                                                                              +.68                                                                              0  +12                                                                              0   0   -3                                         LH146 x LH82                                                                           +19 +.23                                                                              +.95                                                                              -2 -16                                                                              0   -3  -4                                         LH145 x LH167                                                                          +23 +.33                                                                              +1.08                                                                             -1 +8 0   0   -2                                         LH226 x LH165                                                                          +12 +.55                                                                              +.34                                                                              0  +8 0   0   -8                                         LH222 x LH177                                                                          +19 +.87                                                                              +.56                                                                              -1 +20                                                                              0   -6  -2                                         LH222 x LH176                                                                          +18 +1.27                                                                             +.27                                                                              0  +5 0   -1  0                                          __________________________________________________________________________

                                      TABLE 7                                     __________________________________________________________________________    OVERALL COMPARISONS                                                           LH223 X LH176 HYBRID VERSUS CHECK HYBRIDS                                                 Mean        %  %  %   Plant                                                                             Ear                                     Pedigree    Yield                                                                             % M Y/M Stalk                                                                            Root                                                                             Drop                                                                              Height                                                                            Height                                  __________________________________________________________________________    LH176 x LH223                                                                             169 15.26                                                                             11.09                                                                             2  9  0   108 43                                      (at 9 Loc's)                                                                  As Compared To:                                                               LH223 x LH85                                                                              +11 -1.12                                                                             +1.42                                                                             -2 -3 0   0   -2                                      LH226 x LH85                                                                              +3  -.98                                                                              +.83                                                                              -1 +6 0   +1  -5                                      LH85 x LH145                                                                              +13 -.81                                                                              +1.35                                                                             -3 0  0   -2  -1                                      LH146 x LH85                                                                              +10 -.65                                                                              +1.10                                                                             -1 +6 0   +1  -1                                      LH146xLH145)LH176                                                                         +1  -.43                                                                              +.36                                                                              0  -9 0   -3  -1                                      LH163 x LH145                                                                             +8  -.43                                                                              +.84                                                                              -2 -11                                                                              0   -5  -2                                      LH177 x LH145                                                                             +2  -.31                                                                              +.34                                                                              -3 -4 0   -5  0                                       __________________________________________________________________________

DEPOSIT INFORMATION

Inbred seeds of LH176 have been placed on deposit with the American TypeCulture Collection (ATCC), Rockville, Md. 20852, under Deposit AccessionNumber 75952 on Dec. 1, 1994. A Plant Variety Protection Certificate isbeing applied for with the United States Department of Agriculture.Although the foregoing invention has been described in some detail byway of illustration and example for purposes of clarity andunderstanding, it will be obvious that certain changes and modificationsmay be practiced within the scope of the invention, as limited only bythe scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. Inbred corn seed designated LH176 having ATCCaccession No.
 75952. 2. A corn plant produced by growing the seed ofclaim
 1. 3. Pollen of the plant of claim
 2. 4. An ovule of the plant ofclaim
 2. 5. A tissue culture comprising regenerable cells of the inbredcorn plant designed LH176 the seed of which have been deposited and haveATCC Accession No.
 75952. 6. A corn plant regenerated from the tissueculture of claim 5, wherein said corn plant has all the physiologicaland morphological characteristics of LH176 the seed of which have beendeposited and have ATCC Accession No.
 75952. 7. A method for producingfirst generation (F₁) hybrid corn seed, said seed being capable ofproducing a hybrid corn plant having the characteristics of earlierflowering and an excellent grain yield to grain moisture ratio whencompared to elite hybrids currently used in the Northern corn belt,comprising crossing a first inbred parent corn plant with a secondinbred parent corn plant and harvesting the resultant first generation(F₁) hybrid corn seed, wherein said first or second parent corn plant isthe corn plant LH176, the seed of which have been deposited and haveATCC Accession No.
 75952. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the cornplant LH176 is the female parent.
 9. The method of claim 7, wherein thecorn plant LH176 is the male parent.
 10. A first generation (F₁) hybridcorn plant produced by growing hybrid corn seed, wherein said seed isproduced by crossing a first inbred parent corn plant with a secondinbred parent corn plant, wherein said first or second inbred corn plantis the corn plant LH176, the seed of which have been deposited and haveATCC Accession No. 75952, and harvesting the resultant first generation(F₁) hybrid corn seed.